Children Do Kick up Dust

By Erronteen Evans

Pearl: One of Erronteen Evans favorite quotes
Dont be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one, it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. By Dale Carnegie

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483656540

Erronteen Evans

About the Author Erronteen met and married George Silsbe Evans after both of them graduated from college and were teachers in the same school system. They were later divorced after twelve years of marriage. They have two children: Terri Evans Hogan Harp and Candi Evans Lee. There are three grandchildren. Erronteen is a native of Canton, Mississippi. She has resided in other locations, following her career, until retirement (from her position as schoolteacher), then she made Decatur, Georgia, her permanent home. Education Erronteen received a BS degree in elementary education from Alcorn State University and a master’s degree in elementary education from Purdue University. Occupation Erronteen is a retired educator having worked forty-two years as an elementary schoolteacher. Concurrent position during her forty-two-year teaching career follows: Location—Madison/McComb/Corinth/Yazoo, MS (14 years); Michigan City/Gary, IN (28 years) Writer/producer—skits/plays: school, community (1954–96) Girl Scout leader (1960–69); Dir./owner—Tutoring Ctr. (1965–75) Foster parent (1970–75) Mental health householder, Swanson Ctr. (1983–96) Dir./owner—St. Cert. Family Day Care (1996–2010); State. Cert. Personal Care Home (2000–2002) Vohr Sch. chairperson/PBA (1995–96) Review panelist, performance-based accreditation, Indiana State Department of Education (1995–96) Staff dev. instr., Gary Com. Sch. Corp. (1990–96) Activities/Honors Erronteen reigned as Miss Alcorn State University during her senior year and is affiliated with the Miss Alcorn Forever Club. Erronteen was superintendent of Sunday school in her church for twenty years, Mt. Zion Baptist in Michigan City, Indiana.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Erronteen Evans.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2013911139

ISBN:      Hardcover         978-1-4836-5653-3

                Softcover          978-1-4836-5652-6

                Ebook               978-1-4836-5654-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Summary: The typical lifestyle, shaped by history, of Southern blacks in the mid-1900s is told in the context of a captivating yet informative story. It is about the jaw-dropping experiences and struggle for survival of Flader Reed—who is the heart of the story—with her family, in rural Camden, Mississippi.

Rev. date: 07/09/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

133293

CONTENTS

Preface

Camden Community Demographic Twentieth Century

Acknowledgments

1.   Flader’s Overriding Passion

2.   Twirl

3.   Good Gracious!

4.   Blow Out

5.   Mule Blow

6.   Something T’eat

7.   Flagastore

8.   Point Blank

9.   Hardy

10.   Come, Fly with Hardy

11.   Demo Disaster

12.   Spiral

13.   The Coal Mine

14.   Lucille Circle

15.   Minnie Bell Hill

16.   The Creepy Swamp

17.   Aunt Susie’s House

18.   The Eerie Swamp, Again

19.   Final Leg

To my grandchildren—my pride and joy

Donald Hogan

Robert Terry Lee

Jordan River Lee

To my daughter, Candi Lee, of whom I am very proud. She reached the top of the mountain from the slick side relative to all the degrees (4) she has earned. Among them is a recent MSED. Candi is now certified to teach grades PreK-12 in regular and special education by passing lots of hard test.

To my Big Three Dream Friends, created by mutual professionalism, whose abiding touch on my life is as sweet as the fragrance of beautiful spring

flowers in blossom.

Sandra Gentry

Sandra Comer

Kay Stover

PREFACE

T he main purpose of this book is to describe the unique lifestyle, shaped by history, of black families in the Deep South during the mid-1900s. It is interwoven into the content of this compelling yet informative story. It is about the exciting and terrifying adventures that twelve-year-old Flader Reed, who is at the heart of the story, with her family, experienced.

In this book, you will meet headstrong Flader Reed, of rural Camden, Mississippi, who is at the heart of this story. She did lots of things that were fun, but was never satisfied and was unable to think beyond what she wanted. Overriding everything else was Flader’s obsession with the dream trip she wanted to take all by herself.

She would have to take a scarcely traveled road that led into virtually uninhabited areas and through a hazardous swamp with several badly worn bridges to cross. She got a no last summer and a maybe this summer. Yet the days go by, the weeks rush on, and days go by, weeks rush on, and she thought, Before I know it, summer will be gone. I’ve got to do something! What can I do? So Flader decided to go without permission; otherwise, there might not be another chance. But she ran into more than she had bargained for and her struggle for survival is packed with mystery and suspense.

This story is not about race, racism, or religion. It is told from a child’s point of view. You see, the children at that time had never been exposed to any other way of life besides their own. Most blacks never left their community or went more than fifteen miles from home. So they did not ask questions like Why? How? or When? They just lived out their lives where they found themselves—separated and unconcerned about the outside world. If you never had something, you don’t miss it. Out of sight, out of mind described how black youth reacted to whites. Ordinarily, they never thought about whites or discussed them. More often than not, if the kids saw an unknown white person in their dwellings, they ran and told their parents or another member of the community.

The children were unaware of the severe discrimination and economic hardship that impacted their lifestyle. Most adults were aware, but it never crossed their minds to blame anyone. Maybe they thought it was an improvement over slavery or they felt powerless. So they did not complain; nevertheless, they did teach their children how to behave, for the sake of safety, when dealing with whites. The blacks who were maids in white homes often bragged about how much they were loved by the white families for whom they worked.

One of life’s surprises is to find that these people with this unbelievable lifestyle, barely one step above primitive, were contented, did not worry, and accepted their plight in life. More often than not, their days were filled with laughter and happiness, in spite of occasional terrifying experiences over which they had to struggle for survival. Being satisfied, not to mention happy, with this type of lifestyle is contrary to what others think, including the author, who is now an accomplished adult of the twenty-first century. But in the mid-1900s, she was an integral part of this Deep South community. Frankly, she had firsthand experience with this type of lifestyle because she lived it. She was born and spent the first twelve years of her childhood growing up in Camden, Mississippi. Then the family relocated to Canton, Mississippi, only twelve miles away, where she spent the rest of her childhood years uninterrupted.

As stunning details unfold that most people have never heard about the lifestyle of blacks in the Deep South, these cause one to wonder, How could anyone possibly make it in such unimaginable, incomprehensible, and crude living conditions? This is unequivocally true after having been introduced to the way of life all of us now enjoy here in the twenty-first century, comparatively speaking. Black people are still disenfranchised, but not to the extent that they were in the mid-1900s.

The Southern black people of the mid-1900s made it because they tailored the truth to their preference. Also, this story based on the real lifestyle of blacks, attests to the tenet that the human spirit can live triumphantly despite economic hardship and severe discrimination.

Happiness can never be found by looking for it. Because of their attitudes, black people found something that they gave themselves to, something bigger than themselves. Their happiness was a by-product.

This book can be used to support a variety of pedagogical aspects of school learning:

•   Literature-based reading

•   Reading appreciation

•   Black history

•   Cultural diversity

•   Black contributions

•   Black literature

•   Integrated content-based curricula

CAMDEN COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHIC

TWENTIETH CENTURY

C amden, Mississippi, is a very small town located about twelve miles northeast of Canton, Mississippi. It is bounded on the east by Highway 16 and on the west by Highway 51. Highway 3 and 17 run through the Camden area. All roads in the 1930s and 1940s were dirt or gravel and were nearly impossible for vehicles, both wagons and cars, to travel on when it rained.

This rural community was made up of smaller communities, known by whatever the church was named in that community. For example, St. John was the St. John community, Mt. Pilgrim Church, etc.

The St. John community provided the setting for this book, Children Do Kick Up Dust.

All education in the United States was started in the church. This community is no exception. Eventually, beginning in the early 1900s, the churches built small one-, two-, and/or three-room schools next to the church. They were built by men in the church who had carpentry experience.

There was no electricity in the area. Although the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), a federal program, had come to rural Mississippi, no schools and very few homes were afforded this luxury.

Initially, the schools were controlled by the board of trustees in each community. They made all decisions and policies. They hired the teachers, fired the teachers and they kept wood and attended to all other necessary needs. Some teachers started with a tenth-grade education or less. Some had a high school education. They had to pass a written test. If they passed, they were granted teaching credentials. They lived in the community, usually in the home of a trustee. They walked to school, made the fires in the winter, cleaned the classroom, and performed any other duty needed. They received thirty (30) to thirty-six (36) dollars monthly.

There were no school buses for black children. They walked to the little school daily, some three miles one way—some farther.

Monies came from a small county fund allocated for black schools. There were no supplies. Parents bought the schoolbooks, pencils, paper, crayons, etc., out of their small budgets. Books were passed down from one child to the other. School terms were seven months. Earlier, they were four to five months. Later terms were six to seven, then finally nine months.

Most residents were farmers. Few owned cars; therefore, trips to Canton, the closest town of any size, were few and far between.

There was a harvest schedule in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This schedule was enacted during cotton-picking season. School would operate from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. so that the student wouldn’t miss a whole day of picking cotton. This schedule only lasted two months every year.

Children who desired a higher education left their country community during the week and boarded with a family in Canton during the school term. They paid tuition and went home on the weekend because there was no high school in Camden for black children.

These teachers were very dedicated and taught students well, even though they had very few materials. The students excelled.

A white benefactor up north, Anna T. Jeanes—a Quaker lady—donated one million dollars to improve the elementary education of black children in rural Madison County. All rural schools in Madison County were controlled and operated by the Madison County Board of Education—Mrs. R. H. Posey, superintendent.

It was under the jurisdiction of the Mississippi State Board of Education. Both Camden and Canton are towns in Madison County.

Around 1950, Camden Colored High School was built on Loring Road, across from Murphy Chapel Church, about one and a half mile from town. Mr. Billy Crowther was principal. Mr. Clement C. Beamon was elementary principal.

Mrs. Velma Jackson, a black educator, was hired in 1950 as Jeanes teacher/supervisor. She did a super job organizing the school schedules, policies, and the entire curriculum as mandated by the state Department of Education.

Everything was done in accordance with state policies; therefore, all rural children in Madison Country received the same levels of education as any other black child in Mississippi.

Avarak Strickland became Jeanes supervisor in 1957 after Velma Jackson’s health failed. Velma Jackson died in 1957. Schools were consolidated around 1958—closing all one-, two-, and three-teacher schools in various church communities. Students were transported by bus to Velma Jackson High School.

Velma Jackson High School was built in 1958. James Goodloe was named principal of grades 7-12. Clemet C. Beamon was elementary principal of grades 1-6.

In 1965-78, Mildred Gilbreath was appointed elementary principal/supervisor. Clement Beamon became assistant high school principal.

Velma Jackson School then became the best high school in the Canton or Madison County school system for black students—excelling in academics, band, choir, football, basketball, etc.

Since that time, the school has made many, many changes/ additions, especially in Grades 9-12. It had gone though a complete transformation. It is a beautiful school.

Northeast Middle School (grades 6-8) is located on Sulphur Springs Road. It was built in 2002.

Northeast Elementary School (grades K-5) is located on Highway 43. It was built around 2005.

Handpicked cotton went out with the invention of the cotton-picking machine in the late 1960s.

The Camden community has changed tremendously. There is no store in the town area—only one small grocery store.

Roads, with the exception of a few short roads, were paved with asphalt back in the 1970s, making commuter travel easy. Most residents own their own cars.

Instead of leaving for other areas, upon graduating high school, half of the residents work and commute to Canton, Jackson, and/or other cities in the Madison county area. Beautiful homes dot the landscape.

Farmers now grow truck patches of greens, okra, spinach, peas, corn, etc. They have contracted with major grocery stores/chains in the metro area, to keep them supplied with fresh vegetables—farm to market.

Shirley Simmons, a Velma Jackson graduate, is a member of the Madison County Board of Education. Paul Griffin, another Velma Jackson graduate, is a member of the Madison County Board of Supervisors. He helps run the county, and is responsible for the Camden Library, recreation area with walking trails, picnic area with tables. All are located near the library. Velma Jackson students do not have to go to Canton to use the library anymore.

Sacred Heart School is located at the intersection of Highway 43 and highway 17. It was a grade 1-12 school years ago, but it is now grades 1-8. It offers a good private school education.

Camden now offers both private and parochial school education.

Things in Camden have really changed for the better and it is now a great place to live.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to Xlibris and my editor, Archie Kent. I am deeply thankful for the wisdom and guidance of my agent, Louie Anderson.

The inspiration for this book came from my children, grandchildren, and others. This includes the students I taught across my forty-two-year career as an elementary school teacher. The interest and enthusiasm of these exceptional groups, over time, in the same content on which my book focuses suggest that this magical creation will be informative and exhilarating to anyone who reads it.

As ever, my gratitude to my family is greater than words can express. I have boundless appreciation for Robert and Jordan Lee, my grandchildren, who helped to type this manuscript; they were surprisingly better typists than I expected. In addition, their exactingness helped me to bridge the generational